Neil merrill



(No Model.)

N. MERRILL.

MANDOLIN.

No. 559,301. Patented Apr. 28, 1396.

INVENTOR WITN ESSES ANDREW H GRAHAM PHOTO LH'HO WASHINGTON DC UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NEIL MERRILL, OF OSIIKOSH, IVISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE ALUMINUM MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COMPANY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

M A N D LI N SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,301, dated April 28, 1896.

Application filed March 16, 1895. Serial No. 542,010. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NEIL MERRILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oshkosh, in

the county of lVinnebago and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mandolins; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it app ertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in musical instruments; and it consists of a mandolin or other analogous instrument having its sides and back east, pressed, or spun in one piece, a neck attached thereto, and a wooden face or sounding-board provided with a reinforcing attaching-strip applied on its under side about its edge and removably secured to said body portion, as will be hereinafter described.

Mandolins have heretofore been constructcd of several pieces of wood for the sides and back, which were shaped in proper form and glued together, so as to vibrate in sympathy when the instrument is played; but it has been found almost impossible to so thoroughly dry the wood as to prevent it from checking and spreading at the joints after the instruments are manufactured therefrom.

By diligent effort and experiment I have invented a mandolin or other analogous instrument with a body portion having metal sides and back, the metal preferably being aluminium or its alloys, and the face orsounding-board of wood, and in this instrument, in all of its parts, I obtain a sympathy of vibration which renders the tone of the mandolin sweeter and purer and at the same time deeper than that of one constructed in accordance with the old methods. This instrument also produces the so-called carrying tone in a higher degree than has heretofore been accomplished, and the metal body portion of a continuous piece,while contributing to the result just stated, permits of the adoption of various shapes and designs in a more ready and cheaper manner than is the case with the old methods of employing several pieces united together.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation, and Fig. 2 represents a vertical central section, of the i11- strument.

A in the drawings represents the metal body portion, comprising back and sides. It is constructed in a single piece, preferably of aluminium or its alloys, by either casting, spinning, or pressing the metal into shape, thus avoiding employing several pieces, either of wood or metal, and gluing, riveting, or welding such pieces together.

Bis the wood face or sounding-board,which is provided with a reinforcing attaching-strip B on its under side about its edge. -This sounding-board is set upon the upper edge of the body portion, with its reinforcing-strip extending into the chamber formed by the body portion for a short distance, and it is removably secured to the body portion by suitable fastening means; but I prefer to employ screws as the fastening means, as by such fastening means the wood soundingboard can be more readily removed for repairs or for the substitution of a new one.

It will be understood that by constructing the instrument with a metal body portion in one piece and a neck attached thereto, and providing the wood sounding-board with an attaching-strip on its under side at or near its outer edge, which extends nearly entirely around the sounding-board, the fastenings can be passed through the metal sides of the instrument into the attaching-strip without liability of splitting the parts of the instrument or affecting its tone.

hat I claim is- A musical instrument comprising a body portion, consisting of metal sides and back, and pressed, spun, or cast in one piece; a neck attached thereto, and a wood-face sounding-board having a reinforcing attachingstrip secured to its under side at its edge, and removably secured to the said body portion, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NEIL MERRILL. Witnesse O. W. BOWBON, HENRY HENKEL. 

